but no baby yet

I'm being upstaged by Brangelina, my boss's daughter, Ginger Spice, and my ex's wife, all of whom have had their babies. Can't say I'm that upset about it, but I would like it if bub started to make its entrance into the world in the next couple of days. We are ready!! Come out little one!!

Am a bit sick of being pregnant, tired, and heartburny (my poor stomach is squashed somewhere up near my chest). Someone C-chan works with said that the last few weeks of pregnancy have the positive effect of making you forget your fear of childbirth, and you are overcome with impatience and discomfort!! So true!!

My Mum is coming on Sunday!! Can't wait!

Phew - and thanks...

I interviewed yesterday and only had a few "mummy brain" moments, which everyone seemed tolerant of. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to arrange going into labour or waters breaking. I went in in person for it, and luckily venting on my blog on Sunday got it all out of my system and I was able to go in with a professional attitude and just do the interview. Interview panel were all people I work with quite a lot. They told me I'd find out today, and guess what: I had to call at 6:30pm to find out because they left it so late! But anyhow. I got my job. Hooray!

Lesson for the week: being on a recurrent contract sucks, especially when organisations/ companies are so bad at getting contracts ready in time. It's not that my employer is family unfriendly - it's policies are the most family friendly in the country and I do give it credit for that - it's just a shame things tend to unfold as they did below. Other lesson: there are not many people who can do my job :)

Thanks for your comments and well wishes!

Schemes for making my employer feel guilty for delaying my job interview until the week my baby is due....

Yes you read that right. Rough timeline for you...

Date I told my bosses I was pregnant: 22 November 2005 (see merry risa: Report on this weeks’ to do list)
What was done to resolve what would happen with my position from May onwards and who would replace me between 22 November and March 2006: bugger all
Work contract expired: April 30, extended to 31 May 2006 when they couldn't get shit together on time
Date job application was due: 11 May (ie 11 days after I left for Maternity leave)
Date I found out I would have to sit an interview (and only after I rang various people up to find out what the hell was going on): 26 May
Date they wanted to hold the interview, knowing full well the below: 30 May
Date of interview: tomorrow afternoon, 29 May
Baby due: 31 May 2006 (and I should point out the due date is only a statistical average, and the baby could have come weeks ago or might be as late as 10 June).

In summary, they decided to lengthen the term of my contract to beyond the standard year of maternity leave (which was a nice thing to do in concept). However, there are all these things they need to do when they increase the length of a contract, one being publicly advertising the position again. This got procrastinated, and I didn't end up finding out when I'd have to apply for my job until my last week of work, and I had to hand over my work to 5-6 collegues because they didn't get a replacement sorted out in time (apparently they can't do that until my own position is sorted).

Yeh, I'm pissed off about having this to worry about at a time when I should be focussing on getting ready for parenthood and looking after my health. Think I came down with a slight cold over the weekend. The only thing that stops me from flatly refusing to interview is that I'd forfeit my maternity leave rights entirely, and knowing that, they haven't given me an alternative (besides a telephone interview). Being a Scorpio, I thought I should come up with some things to say/do to make the managers responsible for putting me in this position feel a little bit (more) guilty. Going into labour during the interview would be priceless, but unfortunately cannot be arranged!

I have assertively discussed the issue with both my managers and HR regularly over the past few months to try to get someone to do something about the situation, and this has not got me anywhere, and I have not hidden my dissatisfaction at the slowness of action (nor overdone the complaining). Have no faith that a complaint will be taken seriously or acted upon, and not sure that I have grounds unless I can show financial loss or injury, although I certainly have the moral high ground.

Here are the things I've thought of so far:

1) Faint during interview.
2) Assuming they launch into an explanation/apology about the hold up between the 11 May & 26 May, say "Yes, well that certainly explains the delay over the past few weeks..."
3) "Well, we joked around the office that I'd probably be having my interview as the labour pains started, but didn't actually think it would be left THIS late!!"
4) Insist on coming in in person for interview so collegues can be fully aware of the situation I've been put in (I actually think that is why they want me to do the interview by phone, to avoid even the smallest spectacle).

You can see which kind of mood I'm channelling here (passive agressive). Any other ideas?
If serious ones, let me know before midday 29 May EST...

And just to add to the below...
How amazing is the human body? That it can contort itself for a few minutes (as in Wednesday's case) and change shape? Some time hopefully in the next week, it's going to contort itself some more and extract a baby from between my legs!

What is it in the body that tells it to do things like this in the late stages of pregancy? What clicks the body into "going into labour mode"? For the record, I don't think anyone knows down to the molecular level yet, but there are a lot of factors that can influence it, including: stress, semen (ahem), certain essential oils (clary sage & rosemary are some, according to what my hospital booklet tells me).

Amazing!

False alarm #1

Last night I thought I was going into labour.

Had significantly more pain after a few hours of feeling weird - tense shoulders, uncomfortable etc. We scurried about making sure we had everything packed for the hospital. However, it just seems the baby made a dive for it. I had an intense 15-20 minutes of quite painful contractions in the lower abdomen. This morning, I'm sure the baby is sitting lower (it's harder to keep my pants up!!). Today, everything was fine, and I've just been taking it easy. Baby still moving at regular intervals...

Whew! Quite a good practise run, actuall. Realised what we still need to get ready for the big day, when it finally comes.

House of harmony

After 6 years of both of us working full time, getting home tired, sometimes stressed and with workplace baggage, having decide what to cook for dinner (and who can be bothered) amongst other household chores, with me often travelling for work and with C-chan often having Uni to go to a few nights a week...

HAVING ONLY ONE OF US WORKING IS HEAVEN!!

Our household has never divided the labour up very well - the result being we had to negotiate doing most things (washing, cooking), which is fine and flexible, but caused arguments if something needed doing and neither of us could be bothered. And some things just never got done (e.g. ironing). The exceptions would be that C-chan tends to be dishes and tidying monitor, and I'm shopping monitor (but only while he's so busy with study).

Now that I'm not working, I have time to do these things at my leisure, and it's nowhere near as much of a chore. One or 2 chores a day in amongst fun stuff, with quality time with my c-chan at the end of the day is much more bearable than the prior scenario. (Don't get me wrong, C-chan is still filling in for me when I suddenly crash from pregnancy-induced tiredness, like the trooper that he is). I'm hoping we can swindle it so that only one of us is working full time from now on... not necessarily C-chan, but that will be the case for the next few years.

amateur media watch...

I do it for you, honest... Had a bit of a telly fest yesterday, as wasn't feeling up to much.

It seems the latest use for Botox is for that troublesome area - the calves. Yes, having trouble fitting into those sexy knee-high leather boots because of your muscley, well toned calves? Well worry no more. For what I'm sure is only a little bit more money, you can have those boots, and get the Dr to botox your calf muscles to shrink them down a bit.
FREAKS!!

Also, last night on the national broadcaster, the following appeared:

- 4 corners - story on female naval officer blowing whistle on abuse and bullying in navy
- Enough Rope - interview with rescue expert who worked on Thredbo and Beaconsfield rescues
- Lateline (didn't watch but saw preview) - story about crime in Alice Springs featuring interview with Alice Springs District Prosecutor.

And what do you think showed up on the early Channel 7 News this morning? Bites from all three stories, presented as news. Talk about lazy journalism. Must be cheaper to pay ABC royalties and let your staff stay at home watching telly and taking notes. Is the ABC going to become the only media network that actually sends investigative journalists anywhere to find stories?

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Baby update

38 weeks and counting down. 2 more weeks and I'll be at my "due date". 3 more weeks and I'll be overdue and have to consider getting induced (a procedure that would have saved my own life as a baby - I was 10 days late and Mum was about to get induced but went into labour).

Basically, I say, any day now, as baby is fully developed at this stage. Not venturing too far from the house most days. Having Braxton Hicks contractions (ie practice contractions), and pains in lower abdomen daily. All good practice for the shock of the real thing, I hope. Learning to deal with the pain calmly until it washes over.

let the sistas do if for themselves...

Interesting article on a preliminary study on midwife only birthing centres...

Yes, more years of data are required, but still - interesting.

Had 37 week check at hospital yesterday (by the way, all is fine and normal, except need to take iron supplements for next few weeks to bolster my haemoglobin). Have had a different obstetrician each time I've been to the hospital, and only one has been female. Why is it that so many more men seem to train in obstetrics rather than women? Anyhow, no complaints about any I've seen - they've all been competent enough to deal with my straightfoward preganancy. The one I saw yesterday I probably liked the best. Had a gentle english accent, and was good at explaining things in a way that made sense to me.

Entertained on Saturday on a scale that probably won't happen again at our place for a little while! Chose 2 of the most ambitious things I could possibly choose to cook (custard-filled chocolate eclairs and yeasty-based apple crumble thing), and nearly wore self out in process, but it was worth it. Others brought lovely food also, and arranged lovely things like suprise visits from Adelaide friends, cheesey pop quizzes, nappy services, and freebies from baby expos!!

Am sipping Raspberry leaf tea, as it is supposed to help with labour if you drink it from w32 of pregnancy. See some research that midwives at Sydney's Westmead Hospital did plus anectodal evidence at same link if you are interested.

Am pretty tired today. Don't have much I have to do, but can't lie down (back gets too stiff), can't sit comfortably, and feel too tired to attack the pile of dishes surrounding the sink. Hired out "the Upside of Anger" which I might watch later, and another chick flick yesterday which turned out to be shockingly bad and am too embarrassed to admit I hired it so I'm not telling what it was. That choice may or may not have been influenced by the male lead, but not much chance for a goggle after all, so shouldn't have bothered!!

Anyone got some good chick-flick suggestions to help pass some time next week?

Approaching Mum-dom

Having wierd flashbacks to my childhood... (Mum seeing us off at the door in her nightgown before dressing, "doing her face", and getting on with her day)... as I see C-chan off to work still in my nightie. These past 2 days I have got lots done - a bit of shopping, Drs and hospital appointments, washing, assembling furniture, napping. More than I usually manage on a weekend.

Have had a bit of time to ponder how life will change post baby. You don't have to tell me things will change - we've already had at least 100 parents/grandparents tell us that "the first few years are hard, and then they become teenagers!"... Ha ha, hee hee. Ahem. But I refuse to accept at this stage that our social life will stop completely. Change - yes, be sometimes cut short or delayed by our childs sleep patterns a bit - yes. But not stop completely. I've seen enough people with kidlings out and about having coffee, turning up to parties with bubs strapped to chest etc to know a social life is still possible. And necessary, or you'll feel isolated and possibly depressed.

Despite this, was quite irritated with a friend of a friend on the weekend (who I usually only see every few months anyway) saw me off as if I was going on a year-long trip to the moon. Was wierded out by parting comments including: "I like to give pregnant people a wide berth; leave new parents alone to sort things out". As if she was even on the top 20 list of people that I'd call if in a spot of difficulty when the contractions start. As if I'd ever force someone over to see the baby after it is born. It hadn't even crossed my mind to suggest she pop around for a goggle at the baby because: a) I'm not sure how I'll feel in a month or two's time, b) she's not a close friend, and c) she hadn't shown any interest. In fact, it hasn't crossed my mind to tell anyone that yet, besides the obvious keen beans and family who are queuing up.

Very strange. Not strange that some people aren't interested in kids, or are even concealing various sadnesses around the issue - I always knew and expected that. But strange in the way these attitudes can seep out. That people feel the need to make a statement about it, as if the idea of not being into kids is beyond the conception (pardon the pun) of parents to be like myself. As if I haven't spent the last 12 years of my life on various kinds of contraception. In fact, finding people who have positive things to say about having kids has been one of the more rare events over the past 8 months.

And a big thankyou to the friends I have who appear interested and enthused and haven't written us off yet...